Star Trek: Swiftfire 01: Deployment
by The Sisko
Summary: The Federation is now at war with the Dominion and the USS Swiftfire-A is rushed to the front. Rivalries erupt amongst the crew and it is up to Captain Masters to bring the crew together before they can face the challenges that await.
1. Prologue

**STAR TREK: SWIFTFIRE**

**_Deployment_**

(Season 1: Episode 1)

_Author's note: This story serves as the first episode of the "series". It takes place after the events of **Vengeance** and **The Darkness Within**, and I suggest reading those first, but they aren't essential to understand what is going on._

* * *

_Captain's Log, Stardate 50980.8. We have taken the Swiftfire out on a two-week shakedown cruise and everything appears normal. It was a stunning first mission for the USS Swiftfire-A which saw the ship have to return to drydock for two months as they patched the ship up. The repairs seemed to have done the trick and the ship is running perfectly and the crew are…well, they appear fine. As for the Captain, I'm okay. It has been a hard two years. I've lost so many friends…far too many. So many have died around me and yet I live through it all. It is like death is toying with me, though no longer in my dreams, so I guess that is somewhat of a relief. I can still feel the pain of those deaths. I don't know if I can take anymore._

_But I'm getting sidetracked. What are we doing? That's right. We are currently returning to Utopia Planitia for final preparation before we head off to the Fifth Fleet on the Cardassian border. War is not far off and Starfleet is moving as many ships as they can to the Cardassian Border._

* * *

Captain Jonathan Masters stepped onto the bridge. As he did he glanced over at the dedication plaque. On their first mission the plaque had yet to be put up but it was there now and it made the bridge seem complete. At that time the ship had also run on the minimum of personnel, most temporary assignments just for that mission, now just about the entire crew were onboard.

He approached the main science station. It was located behind and to the left of his captain's chair. At the station sat Lieutenant, j.g. Terri Letac. The young female Bajoran officer smiled at him as he approached. He gave her a faint smile and a nod.

Next to her at the tactical station was his chief tactical officer, Lieutenant Commander Nikki Whitechapel. She was currently engrossed by something at her console. She had been on the ship during its mission to hunt for the USS Fury, she had performed well and he felt confidence in her in the position.

The two forward most stations in front of the captain's chair were the operations and flight control stations. The operations' station, which was on the left, was manned by Lieutenant Karak, their Vulcan operations manager. Jonathan remembered his first proper conversation with the misleadingly young looking Vulcan when Karak had told him he had a nickname: Smiley. The Vulcan then went into the typical Vulcan long winded explanation of how it was a joke on the fact that he never smiled. The Vulcan didn't have the most stellar career but he had done well during their mission to catch the Fury.

Next to him was Ensign Frank Cole, straight out of the academy; he was as green as an Orion slave girl. Jonathan suppressed a smile as Cole started to nervously fidget when he realised the captain was on the bridge.

As he neared his chair its occupant stood. It was his first officer and good friend, Commander Susan Core. She was the only really familiar face on the ship and he was more the pleased to have her there. He had previously served with Susan on the USS Bonestell prior to assignment as first officer on the USS Swiftfire, the ship his current command was named after.

"Captain, all systems are operating normally and we should be exiting warp soon," she said as she moved to her seat, which was to the right and slightly forward of his. "Excellent work, Commander," Jonathan's voiced as he took his seat. He always felt good when he was in the centre seat, it had an aura about it and to be blunt it was what he had always wanted. He lent forward so that he was close to Core. "So what do you think?"

"Of the ship? It seems fine and we didn't blow up one of the nacelles on this trip so that's always a good sign. As for the crew…well, that's another matter."

Core was interrupted by Ensign Cole. "Ah, we're about to drop out of warp. Sir!"

Core nearly let out a laugh as the young Cole quickly added the sir. Jonathan wasn't a very strict captain and didn't need his subordinates to start or end all their communications to him with "sir" but Cole still tried to do it.

"Very well, ensign. Drop us to impulse."

The viewscreen showed space with streaking lines of light that was typical of travelling at warp speeds. Those lines snapped back to points as the ship slowed to sublight speeds.

"Set a course for Mars," he ordered.

The ship was near the edge of the system. It could have travelled closer to its destination by warp but Jonathan enjoyed travelling at impulse through the Sol system and passing by the outer planets.

"I'm getting a lot of activity in system, Captain," reported Letac from behind him.

"What kind of activity…what the?"

Out of nowhere four ships flashed past the Swiftfire at high speeds.

"We are being hailed," reported Karak.

Jonathan ordered that the transmission be put through. It was not a visual communication, just audio.

"Akira class vessel, this is the 142nd Tactical squadron. Identify yourself."

"What does he mean identify ourselves? Can't they read their scanners? Open a channel lieutenant. Lead fighter, this is Captain Masters of the USS Swiftfire, NCC-76125-A. What's the meaning of this?"

"Nothing personal, Captain. We have orders to visually and verbally identify all incoming ships. Two of my fighters are forming ahead of you. You are ordered to follow them to your destination."

Two small attack fighters came into view ahead of the Swiftfire. He couldn't see the other two fighters and guessed they were to the ship's aft, probably in a position to make it hard for the Swiftfire to hit them if it fired. Something was serious was going on.

"What destination?" he queried.

"Hold on…Vice Admiral Cattermole has sent orders for you to report to Starbase Mariner in Mars orbit."

"Okay. Thank you 142nd. Just one question, what is will the sudden increase in security?"

"Haven't you heard?" The pilot sounded very surprised. "We've gone to war with the Dominion."


	2. Part 1

Ensign Frank Cole nervously rechecked his course information. This was his first posting and he was as nervous as…as nervous as…he was too nervous to come up with a good analogy! He had missed the _Swiftfire_'s first mission because he had been away from Earth, celebrating his graduation. He had not yet been officially assigned to the _Swiftfire_ and since he had the time he had gone off to have a good time.

Frank looked like he stepped off a recruitment poster. He was slightly taller then average, well-built, blond hair, blue eyes and handsome. At least that's what people told him.

"There is no use in being nervous, Ensign."

He glanced over to Smiley, he felt slightly ridiculous referring to Karak by his nickname. Karak didn't seem to mind being called Smiley but he had that quiet Vulcan intensity about him. One that was enhanced by a scar that ran down his cheek. He wasn't sure why Karak keep the mark on his face; it was very easy and simple to have his skin repaired to remove any signs of scarring.

"You are well trained," continued Karak. "We all make mistakes. As you humans say, nobody is perfect."

Frank glanced back at the captain. He was currently talking with Commander Core, which seemed distracting enough for him to speak to Karak.

To be save he still kept his voice low, "I still don't want to make a bad impression on my first mission on my first posting. You know what it is like to get nervous."

Smiley raised one eyebrow.

"Vulcan. Of course you don't."

Smiley returned his gaze to his console; he did the same, shaking his head. What a stupid thing to say!

* * *

Lieutenant Terri Letac watched the captain talk to Commander Core as they made their way to Mars orbit. She looked back and checked the ships external sensors; she couldn't remember seeing some many ships at once. It was an amazing show of force in the heart of the Federation, her adopted home.

She was a Bajoran; her family had tried to flee from her occupied world of birth when she was very young. During the attempt the freighter that was smuggling them and others was damaged by a Cardassian warship, sadly her parents were killed. The ship was intercepted by a Starfleet vessel that rescued the survivors. A couple on that ship had adopted her on the spot and became her family.

She was raised as Terri Renu; her name was not known since none of the survivors knew her or her deceased parents. She then spent most of her life on various Starfleet vessels living the life of a Starfleet brat.

Her parents had not tried to hide the truth from her and it took years but she found out her real name, Letac Vari. Out of respect for her biological parents who had died trying to give her a better life she changed her last name to Letac, her family name, but kept her first name in respect for her new family and the only one she knew.

Terri was like many Bajoran females; she wasn't too tall and had a slim, petite physique that hid her true strength. Her figure and soft features framed by blond hair and her blue eyes made her an attractive woman. In the Academy many young male student had lusted for her.

She glanced over to her right at Lieutenant Commander Nikki Whitechapel as she worked on the console next to her. Whitechapel was in someway her opposite. She was tall with dark hair and while Whitechapel was a few years older she never the less looked as young as Letac. They both however had blue eyes. Letac had to admit she was a bit envious of Whitechapel's body; she looked every bit a head of security as she would a dabo girl. She decided she had to start going to the gym more.

Nikki looked up and noticed Terri looking at her and moved over to her console.

"Anything the matter?" Whitechapel asked as she pretended to do something.

"No," she replied. She was embarrassed to be caught staring at her and decided to change the subject. "So what do you think of the captain?"

Nikki glanced up at their superior officer. Terri also had a look. He was still talking with their first officer, who was an old friend of his, or at least that was what she had heard. "Still not sure. In this cruise I've hardly spoken to him or seen him."

"Really? But you're the Head of Security."

"He has either been in his Ready Room or his quarters for the last two weeks. I've mostly gone through the Commander, who is quite nice."

"What about before the cruise?" she asked. Terri had still been on the USS Honshu when the Swiftfire was sent on its first mission.

"We didn't have a lot of chatting time during the mission," said Nikki. "After it while the ship was getting repaired I went home. You don't need a tactical officer when you're trapped in a drydock."

"So as a captain you think he's…?" she probed.

Nikki gave her a look of "I'm not falling for that!" before she replied, "The only thing I know for sure is that he is a hero, the 'Hero of Hyralan'! Ever heard of the Hyralan incident?" Letac shook her head. "It happened several years ago on one of the captain's old postings. His ship got into an altercation with a Romulan vessel over asylum seekers, which turned violent. His ship was badly damaged and evacuated; the captain remained on the ship to protect the fleeing escape pods. They gave him the Christopher Pike Medal of Valour for his actions, they don't just hand those out."

Terri was impressed with that fact and glanced over at the captain again. "Where did you hear that?" she asked.

"I'd heard of what happened in Hyralan but I didn't know it was him until I read the personnel files."

"You read the Captain's Personnel file?" asked Terri in surprise.

"Yes. I've read every single crew member's. Part of being head of security."

"So..." A wicked smile came to Terri's face. "You read anything interesting?"

* * *

Jonathan pondered what Susan had just told him. After the surprise that the Federation was at war they had gone back to their original conversation about the crew.

"Wow, it looks like half the Third Fleet is in system," commented Susan. They had seen dozens of ships as they traversed the system. "I'm not sure if that is meant to be comforting or not."

"Are you sure?" he asked.

Susan gave him a look of confusion before realising he was back on their earlier topic.

"Yes, the crew are unsure about you. They're waiting for you to show what type of captain you'll be. You can't do that if you lock yourself in your ready room all day."

"The door isn't locked! At least not always."

"Stop being facetious! I'm being serious, the sooner you make your mark the better."

Susan's deep blue eyes stared piercingly at him. His first officer was probably one of the most stunning women he had ever seen. She had an almost classic beauty with her soft, smooth features, straight blond hair and blue eyes.

He trusted her completely. It didn't hurt that her appearance put you at easy and made you want to trust her, but he trusted her from experience. It was an important dynamic, a captain and first officer and trust was a bit part of that. Jonathan was glad he at least had Susan as his XO since that dynamic already existed.

"Sir, we have received a message from Starbase Mariner. He is ordering us to hold station near the starbase and for you to beam to the starbase for a briefing," Karak conveyed.

"Signal the starbase and tell them I'm on my way. Commander Core, you have the bridge."

Jonathan stood up and headed for the turbolift and made his way to the closest transporter room. Once on the starbase he was told he was to have a briefing with the starbase's commanding officer, Vice Admiral Paul Cattermole. He was taken to and given access to the admiral's officer.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Captain Masters," said the admiral, standing up to shake his hand. "I assume you've heard?"

"That the war has started, yes. Though only as we entered the system, I don't know any of the details."

The admiral gestured for Jonathan to take a seat.

"As you know from Starfleet reports that the Dominion has been sending weekly reinforcements to Cardassia these past few weeks, three days ago it was decided that Starfleet could not allow the Dominion to continue its military build up in the Alpha Quadrant. Captain Sisko of Deep Space 9 undertook the task of mining the mouth of the wormhole a few days ago. The Dominion responded much as we expected and attacked Deep Space 9 and both sides have openly declared war."

"Was the minefield completed?"

"Yes, but we had to abandon DS9."

The good news about the minefield was tempered by the loss of the station. It was a strategically important location. "How many ships were lost?"

"None. The fleet was not defending the station, instead we used the distraction caused by DS9 to cross the border and destroy their shipyards at Torros III."

"We?"

"It was a joint operation between Starfleet and the Klingon Defence Force, likely the first of many. Fleet Admiral Rekris led the fleet; it was also partly his idea to make it a joint operation. Just to show and remind everyone that despite our troubles recently the Federation and Klingon Empire will stand together against the Dominion."

"Who else has gone to war?" Jonathan asked.

"Other then us, the Klingons, Cardassians and Dominion…no one. Most of the other powers have made it quite clear they want to remain neutral in this conflict, most notably the Romulans who signed a non-aggression pact with the Dominion about a week ago."

Jonathan absorbed this information. Given that his ship was on a shakedown cruise he hadn't been receiving intelligence updates and while he wasn't surprised that powers like the Gorn and Tholians were not quick to join the fight, the fact that the Romulans had signed a treaty with the Dominion after they surprised everyone and deployed forces to Deep Space 9 when Cardassia joined the Dominion, he was sure that when the true conflict started the Romulans would side with the Federation and Klingons. He couldn't worry about that now, what mattered was his part in the larger picture.

"What of our assignment? Are we still to join the Fifth?" he asked.

Cattermole nodded. "Yes, you are to be assigned to the 268th Tactical Wing under the command of Vice Admiral Brand. Have you served with Cameron before?" Jonathan shook his head. "We're sending as many ships as we can to the border and expect the Dominion to soon start expanding from Cardassian territory. You'll be travelling solo to Sector 432, where the Fifth is currently deployed."

The Admiral passed over a padd to Jonathan.

"All the details are there. I'd like to immediately board the Marines and fighters on your vessel to leave for Sector 432 in the next twelve hours, sooner if possible."

"Of course, sir."

"Did you run into any problems during the shakedown cruise that need seeing to?"

"No, sir. The ship performed admirably."

"Excellent," said the Admiral as he stood and moved around his desk to Jonathan's side. "Good luck out there, Captain."

Jonathan stood and shook the Admiral's outstretched hand. "Thank you, sir. I'm sure my crew will serve the Federation to the best of their ability."


	3. Part 2

"This is Wing Commander Maxine Benton, to the USS _Swiftfire_. Request permission to land my wing."

Maxine Benton put her fighter into a lazy list towards the _Akira_ class starship. Behind her another 35 fighters followed suit.

_"This is the _Swiftfire_,"_ replied a male voice._ "Permission granted, Wing Commander Benton. We have personnel on the flight deck to direct your fighters where to land."_

"Thank you, _Swiftfire_." Maxine switched the communication system over to the wing's frequency. "Okay, we are going in people. One at a time, don't want to have any accidents moving in. Personnel on deck will be directing you as you go in."

Benton lined her fighter up with entrance to the ship's massive shuttlebay.

* * *

Whitechapel watched as the fighters approached the shuttlebay.

_Wow, _Peregrine_ fighters_, thought Nikki.

Nikki had a love for flying shuttles and was in love with the Peregrine. She had never served on a ship that carried the fighters. What she wouldn't give to take one of those puppies for a spin.

"Lt. Commander, would you like to greet our pilots?"

Nikki's eyes gleamed. "Yes, ma'am."

"Go on. Before they start wandering the ship."

"Yes, ma'am!"

Nikki quickly entered the Turbolift.

"Shuttlebay," she said. She could no longer hold back and a smile beamed across her face.

Susan smiled to herself. She had studied Lt. Commander Whiting's profile and knew that something as simple as going to see the fighters would make her happy. She then frowned, but it should be the Captain who did something like this. The Captain and crew were still distant. This wasn't the Jonathan Susan remembered.

Nikki entered the Shuttlebay and was just in time to see the last two fighters slowly cruise into the bay. She watched the deck personnel direct the fighters towards the individual fighter bays. He walked over to one of the deck personnel and asked where the lead fighter had landed. The personnel directed her to where the Wing Commander had landed. Nikki walked over and found the pilot walking around the fighter inspecting it.

The person wore what appeared to be a variation of the standard uniform, except it was totally grey. They were also equipped with a grey helmet that sealed with the suit, which meant they could surprise in a vacuum if they had to evacuate their fighter in space.

"Wing Commander Benton?"

The pilot looked up. The visor was fairly clear and she could see the person's face. The pilot put her hands on either side of the helmet and pressed the release buttons and raised the helmet off. She shook her head and ran a gloved hand through her short brown hair.

"You never get use to wearing a helmet. It really messes up your hair."

Nikki smiled.

"Yes, I'm Wing Commander Benton. You can call me Maxine."

"Nice to meet you, Maxine. I'm Lt. Commander Nikki Whitechapel."

"That accent? It's British, isn't it?"

"Yes. I was born in London."

"London! Beautiful city. Spent some time there when I was young. My mother is English. But I was born on Betazed."

"I've never been to Betazed but I heard it is the closest thing to paradise. I'm here to show you around. We have put all your quarters close to the shuttlebay. Here are the rooms." Nikki handed over a datapadd.

"It's up to you who are in which room. If you have any questions direct them to the Captain."

"Thanks. What's the Captain like?"

"He is…distant. We haven't really sorted him out yet." Nikki felt slightly embarrassed about this so she decided to change the subject. "So how long have you been flying _Peregrines_?"

"As long as I could. I wasn't interested in flying one of these large ships so I did flying training to become a Shuttle pilot, did that for a bit but when these babies entered service I knew where I belonged."

"I did basic flight training as part of my Academy course but I found I was more interested in been in control of a big ship's weapons. But I've got to say I still love flying."

"Have you flown a _Peregrine_?"

"No, I haven't."

"If we ever get free time, how about I take you for a cruise in my fighter."

Nikki smiled. "I would really enjoy that."

"_Lt Commander Whitechapel, report to the Bridge,"_ came Susan's voice over the ships intercom.

"I have to go. It was nice meeting you, Maxine."

* * *

Frank looked over at Karak.

"Marines? Why do we have Marines coming onboard?"

"They are here in case we go "AWOL", so they can shoot us to prevent the Dominion getting our ship," said Karak in a monotone voice.

Frank looked panicked.

"I was joking."

Frank relaxed. This was why Karak was called Smiley, apart from the fact he didn't smile, he also told jokes which most people didn't get because he never changed his tone.

"They are stationed onboard to provide extra security in case the Dominion tries to board the ship."

"Why don't they just assign more security personnel?"

"I cannot say, Ensign. It is possible that there are not enough security personnel to assign extra to every starship. It is also possible that given our ship's extensive shuttlebay and assigned fighter squadrons that assigning Marines to our vessel is a better option as it increases our tactical options."

"Oh. How many Marines are coming onboard?"

"150."

As if Frank wasn't nervous enough, now there would be 150 heavily armed Marines running around the ship.

_I should have joined the Diplomatic Corps, _thought Frank.

* * *

The Ensign on deck was in charge of directing traffic in the shuttle bay. He had never seen anything like this before. In came several very large shuttles, nearly as big as a runabout. The most unusual thing about them was the nacelle placement. Most shuttles had the nacelles come below the ship and would land on them; these shuttles had the nacelles above the ship and had to deploy struts to land on. He directed the strange shuttle to land. The ship landed and immediately the rear hatch opened and out hustled over 20 Marines and they started to unload the shuttles. The Ensign had only seen Marines a couple of times but never like this. When he saw them they had uniforms similar to the standard Starfleet ones. These Marines however were wearing some sort of grey bulky armour. Most of the helmets just covered the top and back of the head but some of the Marines wore helmets that totally encased their heads, which made them appear slightly robotic. Why they had two different helmets, the Ensign didn't know. Finally all the ships had landed. From one of the shuttles strode over a tall, imposing Marine.

"Ensign, I would like to meet with the Captain."

"I'm here, Colonel Tiki."

"Reporting for duty, Captain."

The Marine jumped to attention and saluted the Captain, who had only just entered the Shuttlebay. Starfleet had gotten rid of the saluting a senior officer rule a long time ago, but the Marine Corps had brought the ancient tradition back to life. But as a general rule, Marines didn't salute all superior officers, only commanding officers and Admirals. The Captain saluted back.

"You're relieved Ensign."

Jonathan was standing toe to toe with the Marine Colonel and the Colonel was huge. He was taller then Jonathan, who was fairly tall himself. Plus the Colonel had much wider shoulders. He was the type of person you don't want to get in fights with. He was dark skinned and had a shaved head. In fact he was the only Marine not to have a helmet on.

"Where do you want us to store our equipment, Captain?"

"We have barracks set up for your men and you can store your equipment there or in the armoury, which is next to the barracks."

"I see you have everything set up. What about security?"

"Meet with my Head of Security, Lt. Commander Nikki Whitechapel, she'll sort that out." Jonathan called back the Ensign who was there before and handed him a datapadd. "Ensign, lead the Colonel and his men to their quarters. That's all for now, Colonel. I'll let you settle in."

The Colonel nodded and turned around and started barking orders. The Marines gathered their equipment and then followed the Colonel, who was been led by the Ensign, out of the Shuttlebay leaving Jonathan on his own. He looked around the spacious bay. They could probably fit another 50 _Peregrine_ fighters in the bay. The Shuttlebay on _Akira_ class starships were huge. On the _Swiftfire_ there were 36 fighter bays, individual small bays where the _Peregrine_ fighters were stored and maintained and kept the flight deck clear. The only ships on the deck were a few shuttles including the Marine's dropships. Jonathan looked out the rear bay doors, which were still open, at the left warp nacelle and weapons pod.

He had gained around 200 crew to his ship. More lives under his control. How many would he lose? How many fine young officers would die because of him? Who would be next on the list of people who died around him? He couldn't think about it. It would be easier for him and for everyone else if they didn't get attached to each other or the ship.

The Ensign led the Colonel and the other Marines to their "barracks", which the unofficial name the crew had given to the area of the ship the Marines were to be assigned to. The area was based around one of the ship's larger armouries and a cargo bay that had been converted for the Marines.

"The captain has assigned the quarters in this section specifically for your personnel," explained the Ensign as he handed over a padd to the Colonel. "If you require more quarters let the captain know and he will see that you get them."

The Colonel looked over the information on the padd. "The number here seems sufficient. Major Stevens, start assigning personnel to quarters," ordered the Colonel handing the padd over to another Marine.

They came up to the converted cargo bay. "We have converted this cargo bay into facilities for you and your men. Principally we have put in a large briefing room and an equipping area. We've also put your office so that it is directly connected to the briefing room."

"I take it since we have an armoury across the hallway that was the reason for choosing this bay?"

"Yes, this armoury is one of the biggest on the ship and was expanded. The captain thought it would be more efficient if you had your briefing areas close to the armoury and to most of the quarters. He has also made available several other quarters available for your higher ranking officers. They aren't as close by."

"Very well. Thank you, Ensign. I think we can take it from here."

* * *

Jonathan stepped off the Turbolift onto the Bridge.

"We packed and ready?"

Susan turned around. "Yes, Captain. The Marines and fighter pilots are all onboard and stowed away. All systems are green and all sections have reported in."

"Ensign, have you plotted the course?"

"Y…yes sir," replied Frank nervously.

"Good. Move away from the Starbase and prepare to jump to warp."

The_ Swiftfire's _sleek body cruised away from the large Starbase. The _Swiftfire_ moved away from the station as to have a clear area to go to warp.

"We have cleared the Starbase and have a clear space ahead," reported Karak.

"Set course for Sector 432. Warp 8…engage."

The _Swiftfire_ seemed to stretch, then snap back together as it disappeared in a flash of light.


	4. Part 3

Jonathan slowly opened an eye.

"_Captain, it is time to get up,"_ said the Computer. It then beeped and repeated itself.

Jonathan slowly stirred. "If you weren't female computer I would tell you to shut up," mumbled Jonathan. "Computer, stop wake up call."

The Computer beeped in acknowledgement and stopped repeating the message.

Jonathan stood up and stretched. He glanced out of the viewing window that was positioned above his bed. By the lines of light that seemed to pass the window he could tell they were still at warp, which wasn't surprising as it would take a few days for them to travel to Sector 432. He walked over to his replicator.

"White coffee, strong and the usual."

The replicator hummed and produced Jonathan's breakfast, coffee, toast, poached eggs and cereal. This is how Jonathan started his day. He would have breakfast in his quarters as he read duty reports. Unlike the other crew who operated on 8 hour shifts, as the Captain he got maybe 6 or 7 hours of sleep and an hour or two free, the rest he was on duty. Jonathan sat down and read the duty reports. Nothing happened of any interest while he was asleep. When Jonathan finished he went into the sonic shower and then got ready to go on duty. He stood in front of the mirror and checked his uniform to make sure it was perfect. He straightened his uniform. He adjusted his collar and his hand brushed against his pips. Jonathan stared at the pips, the symbol of his power and authority. But these things came with great responsibility. How would he deal with been a captain and its hard choices. What about his conscience? Jonathan shook his head clear of those thoughts. He quickly left his room before they could return.

* * *

Colonel David Tiki inspected the armoury. The large room was packed. Extra hand phasers, phaser rifles, isometric disruptors, combat knives, grenades, explosives and other special Marine equipment.

"Good job, Major."

"Thank you, sir," said the Major.

The Colonel turned to face the Major. The major was in command of one of the platoons in David's Marine Company, as well as his second in command.

"Has the Lt. Commander arrived yet?"

"She should be here any second."

On cue the door opened and in walked Nikki Whitechapel. She walked up to Colonel Tiki.

"I'm sorry, Colonel. I've been busy with other business."

David nodded. Despite what the Lt. Commander said she didn't sound too sorry. "Understandable. Shall we move to my office?"

David led Nikki to his office. It was still fairly bare, with only his desk and a few chairs in the room. He had not got around to personalising it yet. He gestured her to take a seat.

Nikki started, "I'm here to discuss the security arrangements. Once on the front two Marines need to be stationed on the Bridge at all times and at main engineering. Any additional patrols around the ship are up to you."

"Sounds fine. How do you feel about this?" he asked.

"It's a good set up. Whether it will stop a Jem'Hadar boarding party is another thing."

"Don't worry about that, my Marines could stop a Borg Cube if they needed to."

"I hope your confidence is well place. Here are the details." Nikki dropped a datapadd on the table, stood up and promptly left.

The Colonel went over the arrangements on the datapadd. He had sensed the Lt. Commander's displeasure at the Marines been here. It was a classic case of inter-service rivalry between the Starfleet Marines and Starfleet Security. Neither force liked the other. Starfleet Security saw the Marines as below them, mere grunts and the Marines saw Starfleet Security as a bunch of stuck up pretty boys.

Yep. They were all going to get on fine.

Meanwhile in one of the forward lounge a group of five Marines were hassling two young Ensigns who were part of the ships Security detail.

"What a pair of pretty boys!" said one of the Marines.

"Wouldn't last 5 seconds against a group of school girls, let alone the Jem'Hadar."

The Marines broke out in fits of laughter.

"I think you should leave them alone!" came a voice from behind them.

The Marines turned to face six Security personnel. The Marines turned their attention to the new group.

"Whose going to make me, you pretty boy?" said a Marine.

The lead Security officer moved so they were face to face and placed a finger on the Marine's chest.

"You're nothing but a bunch of thugs."

"Get you finger off me," threatened the Marine,

"Or what?" replied the security officer, this time adding a poke.

"I warned you."

The Marine threw a punch and soon a brawl erupted in the lounge. Other crewmen jumped in to try and break it up.

* * *

Jonathan read out the information on the datapadd.

"Two Marines with broken bones, two Security officers with broken bones, one with internal bleeding. A dozen other personnel with various other injuries. Broken chairs, plates, bowls, cups, and bottles. One of our main lounges looks like a war zone! How do you explain this?"

Lt Commander Whitechapel and Colonel Tiki stood at attention in front of Jonathan's desk in his Ready Room.

"It's just a case of inter-service rivalry, sir," said Colonel Tiki.

"It's more then that," replied Nikki. "His Marines were harassing my men. In fact they started the fight. His men have no discipline."

"And you're basing this on what? The actions of a couple of my men, your men didn't do anything to avoid the fight."

"It's not only them but your other "officers" have been doing the same. The security of this ship shouldn't be left to these…hooligans."

"Oh, so this is what this is about! The fact that we are taking over the security of the ship!"

A shouting match erupted.

"Lt. Commander, Colonel, calm down," said Jonathan but they didn't hear him over their shouting. "Be quiet…I SAID SHUT UP!" Jonathan jumped up and slammed his hands on his desk.

The two officers snapped to attention.

"I thought that something like this could happen, so I already have a solution. Both sides are itching for a fight, so I'll give them a fight."

"What?" exclaimed both officers.

"The Marines will act like a boarding party and Security and the rest of the crew will act as the ships defence."

"You want these hooligans to run around the ship and shoot people?"

"Yes, and I want you to shoot back. It's perfectly safe. We will issue all crew with hand phasers or rifles and this wristband. This wristband projects a field around the user that when it registers a hit by a phaser will indicate the wearer is out of the fight."

"How does it do that?" asked Nikki.

"The field will then produce a dampening field so that the user can't fire their weapon."

"But the person will still be in play," said the Colonel. "They might be "dead" but they can still have an effect."

Jonathan thought about the Colonel's issue. "How about instead we tie the wristbands to the transporter system. If you are hit you get beamed out of the game, say to a cargo bay until the game is concluded."

"That sound better, sir."

"How about it, Commander?"

Nikki stood there thinking for a while before saying, "Okay. Tell me the rest of the details."

* * *

"You understand the plan?" asked Colonel David Tiki.

"SIR, YES, SIR." Answered all the Marines. They were in the Marine's Briefing room, which was packed with the 150 Marines.

"You have you wristband on?"

"SIR, YES, SIR."

"Any questions?"

"What are the odds, sir?" asked a Marine from the back of the room.

"The enemy outnumber us 5 to 1."

"5 to 1," said the Marine who asked the question. "They don't stand a chance."

"That is correct. Now, go. Move out. I want this ship under our control yesterday."

The Marines jumped up and split into their various squads and headed for the Jefferies tubes.


	5. Part 4

The Turbolift door opened and Jonathan stepped out. It was the middle of the night on the ship and he was headed for the Shuttlebay. The _Peregrine_ wing commander was the only senior officer he hadn't personally met. He knew that she was on station at the moment so he decided to go and meet her. He had gone over her service record. Originally started out as a shuttle pilot but then joined the Starfleet Starfighter Corps and proved to be one of the best. She had been involved in several battles with the Maquis, Cardassians and the Klingons. Like him she had just been given command of others. Jonathan walking into the shuttlebay, four _Peregrine_ fighters were out of their bays and on deck, ready for launch just in case of trouble. In a small room off the shuttle bay was the pilot dispersal or "Pilot Town" as they had etched into the bulkhead. He walked over and looked in the room's window. Three males and one female sat around a table playing some sort of card game. Jonathan walked to the door and it slid open. When it opened they all turned to see who it was. At first no one really reacted, none of the pilots had seen Jonathan before but one of them noticed the pips and jumped up.

"Captain, sir!"

The others quickly jumped up.

The women, who Jonathan guessed was Wing Commander Benton, started to speak.

"Sorry, sir. We didn't know…we were just…I'll make…"

"Wing Commander Benton? I'm just here to speak with you."

The Commander calmed down. "Oh. Sure, sir." She had a look of concern on her face.

"Let's talk out here. Your men can get back to work."

The men hurriedly packed up their game and stood around for a few seconds not knowing what to do. They finally settled on some chairs and put the Federation News Service (FNS) on the viewing screen.

Jonathan led Maxine out onto the flight deck.

"I apologise, sir. For what was going on."

"Why?" asked Jonathan.

"For our conduct. The game."

"Yes, that. What were you playing? You seemed to panic when I walked in."

"It was poker, sir. You know, poker?" Maxine looked confused.

"Poker? Poker? Sounds familiar."

"You really haven't heard of it?"

Jonathan shook his head. Maxine let out a little laugh.

"You sure you're human? From Earth? You did go to the Academy didn't you? I don't think I've met a human from Earth who went through the Academy who hadn't played or at least heard of poker."

"I guess I missed out. What is the objective of the game?"

"It's a game of cards where you gamble. You bet on your cards been superior to the other player's cards."

"Sounds simple, but not much fun. The person who bets the most is always the winner."

"It's a bit more complicated then that. You can also try to fool the others into thinking you have a better hand then you actually do. It is a game of skill as it is luck. Since it involves gambling some senior officers frown on it, especially when people play it while on duty. But you didn't come here to talk about cards."

"No, I didn't. I was going to formally meet you earlier today but with the incident in the lounge and preparing for the war games I've been busy."

"Yes, the games," said Maxine as she tapped her wristband. "When do they start?"

"Whenever the Marines choose to attack. I doubt they'll attack until morning."

They came up to one of the _Peregrine_ fighters.

"Nice ships. I've been for a joy ride in one a few years back. I enjoyed the experience. I don't mind flying these smaller craft where it's just you and the machine. I usually get my fix in the holodeck in old Earth aircraft.

"That sounds interesting. I like to fly the old wooden, open cockpit aircraft. The feel of the air through…"

* * *

Up on the upper level of the shuttlebay several Marines stealthily moved down to take positions around the bay. At one spot a Marine stopped and surveyed the bay. He turned to face a nearby Marine and signalled him. He pointed with two fingers to his eyes and then across the bay and held up two fingers. Then with both hands he flapped them and then held up three fingers. The Marine he was signalling nodded and signalled another Marine further down the line.

It finally reached a Marine close to the Major in charge of the Squad.

"Major, we have 2 hostiles on the deck plus 3 in the bird hut."

The Major nodded. "Signal Squad 2. Hold position and send in the forward group. Take them quickly and quietly. We want to stay undetected for as long as possible."

* * *

Maxine felt strange. She somehow felt a connection with the Captain. So far the Captain had been distant, while trying not to appear distant. She had done most of the talking so far. She looked closely at him. He was a tall and handsome man but there was something about him that said to keep away. Maxine couldn't help but to see past it. Then it suddenly came to her.

_Oh my god! I've got a crush on the Captain._

The Captain suddenly jerked his head and raised his hand signalling for silence.

"Did you hear that?" he asked.

Maxine shook her head.

"It came from over there, by those crates by that shuttle, I think."

Jonathan started to head over when he spotted something in the reflection of the shuttlecraft's windows. He stopped. He could just barely make out the form of an armoured grey Marine.

"Looks like nothing," he said out loud. Jonathan turned and walked back to Maxine.

"Wing Commander, I think we have Marines in here," he whispered.

The Commander looked shocked but before she could say anything Jonathan continued. "Don't look alarmed. In fact, smile. Act like I'm telling you something funny."

Maxine smiled and laughed.

"Where there's a Marine there always another. Do you have your phaser on you? Nod if you do."

She nodded.

"Good. Go into the dispersal and tell the others. Wait, no, we are going to walk out right now and signal Security for help."

Jonathan started to head for the exit but stopped dead in his tracks when he heard the shuffling of feet behind them.

"Stop where you are! Keep your hands where I can see them."

Out from behind the crates came the forward group of 4 Marines.

"Slowly put your weapons on the floor and kick them over to me."

They both slowly pulled out their phasers and put them on the floor, but just before they kicked them over a pilot came out of the dispersal.

"Commander, Captain. The fleet sent to…what's going on?"

The pilot at first didn't see the Marines until he moved closer. He went straight for his phaser but the Marines all fired on him. The pilot disappeared in a blue transporter haze and marked the first "casualty" of the game. Jonathan dropped to the floor and picked up his Phaser. He fired two quick shots at the Marines. The first one went wide of any of the Marines. The second shot caught one of the Marines in the leg and he disappeared. Jonathan grabbed Maxine and jumped behind a nearby _Peregrine_ fighter for cover as the other Marines fired back.

"You okay?" asked Jonathan.

Maxine nodded. "I thought you said they wouldn't attack for another couple of hours."

"I also said it was up to the Colonel when the games began. We have to get out of here. The rest of the Marines will be all over this area soon."

Suddenly the other two pilots burst out of the dispersal with phasers blazing. Two Marines disappeared in a blue haze. The fourth Marine managed to get behind cover.

"GO! GO! GO!" yelled Jonathan.

He pushed Maxine to her feet and ran towards the door. Suddenly the bay erupted in phaser fire; most of it came from the upper level. Luckily they were targeting the two pilots. Jonathan and Maxine managed to get through the door to safety. The door closed and they could hear the thumping of phaser fire on the door.

Jonathan went to the nearest control panel and started inputting codes. He tapped his combadge.

"Masters to Whitechapel."

"_Yes, Captain,"_ came a sleepy voice.

"The game has begun. We have a squad, maybe a platoon trapped in the shuttlebay. I'm going to head for the Bridge. Sound the alert."

"_Yes, sir,"_ came a more alert voice. _"Damn, Marines. I thought they didn't want to attack at night because of the smaller number of crew on duty."_

"I guess they were just throwing us off."

"_I have a team heading your way to escort you. Don't move."_

* * *

It didn't take long for five Security personnel to show up. They carried a mix of weapons, apart from the standard issue hand phaser, 2 of them had the old Phaser rifle that was issued in the late 2360s, and the other two had the more up to date lightweight rifle that was now the standard issue on most starships. The last man carried a double gripped version; it was a bigger, bulkier version and was a more powerful rifle.

"Captain. Wing Commander. We are here to escort you out of here," said the lead Security member. They started to head away from the shuttlebay.

"Status?"

"The Marines had taken decks 15 to 13 without alerting us before you put out the alert. Once they knew that they no longer had the element of surprise they quickly took decks 11 and 12. We are grouping on Deck 10."

"What about the decks below 15?"

"They have been sealed by the Marines."

"Causalities?"

"Around 40. Mostly non security members."

The Security officers stopped. Around the corner came a dozen pilots.

"Boy, are we glad to see you," said one of the pilots. "We got up when the report came of the games starting and ran straight into a small group of Marines skulking around. We got 'em but more appeared and we had to fall back. It isn't fair, all we have is hand phasers and they have rifles."

"How far away are they?" asked Jonathan.

"Not far. We have several men fighting a delaying action but we are not commandos."

"If they get to the shuttlebay they'll let out the men we trapped in there."

"How many?" asked the pilot.

"Maybe a platoon. We'll fall back to Deck 7. Everyone falls backs, all other Security units too. We need to form a plan of attack. We'll lose if we go around without a plan."

Phaser fire echoed in the corridor.

"They are close. You three." Jonathan pointed to three Security officers. "Stay and wait for the stragglers then you fall back. Everyone else go, use the Jefferies tubes. It'll be quicker then ferrying people by Turbolift. You first pilots. Come on! Go!"

The pilots rushed to the nearby Jefferies tubes. Maxine followed the pilots up. Jonathan got in followed by two Security officers.

"You." Jonathan said to the last Security officer. "Stay here and lock down this tube when everyone gets in and then get to Deck 7."

Jonathan then turned to move off. He climbed and crawled his way to Deck 7. A Security officer helped him out of the tube.

"Where is the highest ranked officer?" asked Jonathan.

"Here. What was the meaning of abandoning Decks 8 to 10? We are trying to stop them, aren't we?" It was Nikki and she sounded pretty angry. "I was on my way to getting Deck 11 back," she said.

"That doesn't matter now. I just bought us time to get organised. It will take them time to sweep those decks we abandoned. How many men do we have left?"

"Around 200."

"200! Do you mean that we have lost three fifths of the crew?"

Nikki looked uncomfortable. "Yes."

"What about the Marines?"

"Maybe 20 or 30 down."

"What! We have lost 10 times as many men! How many Security officers do we have left?"

"Maybe 80. The rest are normal crew."

"Okay. This is the line. We set up teams around this Deck. Plus I want harassment teams to beam to the lower Decks and attack them from behind. Deck 3 is our Alamo. If we get pushed back to that Deck we hold. No more retreating, we stop them there or die trying."

Nikki nodded. "That is a plan but it needs details."

"You're the Head of Security, that's your job."

Nikki nodded. She thought about the plan and soon she was pumping out details and the plan started to take shape.


	6. Part 5

The Marines reached Deck 7 quicker then expected. Nikki and Jonathan had only just set the defenders up. At first the Marines were taken back by the organised resistance of the defenders, but they still managed to get a foothold on the Deck. The Defenders had a 2 to 1 advantage over the Marines but that didn't matter. After a furious firefight the defenders had to fall back. Jonathan was forced to join the defence due to losses at his position. Jonathan sprayed fire from the phaser rifle down the corridor to slow down the Marines approached. The Marines fired back. Jonathan ducked back around the corner and tapped his combadge.

"Lt. Commander."

"_Yes, sir."_

"We are falling back from my position."

"_The Marines have pushed in on all sides, sir. We are all retreating."_

"Have you sent the Harassment teams?"

"_Yes, a few moments ago. The first group should be making their move soon."_

"Great…"

Jonathan paused as an officer next to him was hit and disappear. He put the rifle around the corner and just fired randomly.

"It is getting hot down here! I don't know if we can make it back."

"_Acknowledged,"_ said Nikki. _"New orders. All personnel get the Captain to the nearest Turbolift and to the Bridge."_

"What!"

"_You heard me. My job is to protect the ship, then its captain, followed by the crew. Come on, people. That's an order."_

Only three crewmembers remained at Jonathan's position.

"Come on, Captain. Turbolift 3 is just down this corridor," said one of the crew.

"I can help more if I'm here then on the Bridge."

"_No arguing, Captain. Your safety is paramount. I remind you I'm head of this operation,"_ said Nikki.

"Fine. I'll go. Lead the way."

They broke away and ran for the Turbolift. They hadn't very far before they ran into Marines who had gone around to attack the group from behind. The two groups fired at each other but neither hit. They were both more concerned in getting behind cover where they exchanged fire. The Marines who the group had been holding off moved up and again engaged the group. The group were fighting in front as well as behind them. Luckily for the group several defenders had come to escort the captain and were behind the Marines attack from the front. They took advantage of the situation and took out all the Marines.

"Captain, the road ahead is clear. We will hold off the Marines behind you. Just get to the Turbolift."

"Thank you," said Jonathan.

Jonathan was practically dragged to the Turbolift and thrown in it. The Turbolift got to the Bridge. On the Bridge were Commander Core, Lieutenant Karak, Ensign Cole, Lieutenant Letac and two Security officers. By the Turbolift door who had their phasers pointed at Jonathan when he arrived.

"Did you have fun?" asked Susan.

"I was until I got ordered out of the game." Jonathan sank into his chair.

"You're a Captain now, Jonathan. You can't go running around fighting on the front in a battle. You've got a responsibility to this ship and its crew to keep them alive."

"That's what I'm doing by being on the front."

"You also have a responsibility to stay alive. Jonathan, you have to let…"

"_Captain, it is Lt. Commander Whitechapel."_

Terri patched the transmission onto the ships comm. In the background were a lot of yelling and even more phaser fire.

"_This is Whitechapel. We are at the Alamo. The Marines cut us up on Deck 4 and we only have a dozen or so crew left here. We can't hold out."_

She stopped and the phaser fire got louder, indicating that she was firing.

"_We've lost it. We are going to launch an attack so to take out as many as we can. Plus I was getting sick of defending. Okay, here goes."_

They listened as Nikki issued the order and listened until the transmission was cut, less then a minute later.

"Okay. Cover the Turbolift. This is where they are going to be coming." The two guards took positions on either side of the door. Frank and Karak got cover behind the helm and the others found what little cover they could.

The door opened. Everyone tensed. It was empty. Jonathan got up and went for a closer look. He stepped inside and looked around.

"It's empty."

Suddenly the doors to the observation lounge opened and out stepped a Marine, who immediately opened fire. He took out the two guards first. Frank was so nervous that when the Marine fired he pressed the trigger and then moved his hand to target the Marine. An arc of phaser fire cross the bridge. Jonathan ducked and threw himself to the side to avoid been hit by the errant beam, forgetting he was in a small space he slammed into the wall. The doors closed and the Turbolift started to move. For all Frank's efforts he also missed hitting the Marine who retreated back behind cover.

Jonathan slowly got up. He was about to curse the Ensign when he noticed the lift was moving. He knew he had mere seconds before it reached its destination. It stopped and the door opened, there waited 4 Marines. The lead Marine took a step towards the Turbolift and then froze. Even with his helmet on Jonathan noticed the shock on his face. Jonathan charged the Marine and tackled the Marine. In the tackle Jonathan ripped the Phaser rifle out of the Marines hands. The Marine fell to the ground. Jonathan swung around and fired. The three Marines disappeared in a blue haze. Jonathan turned to face the Marine he tackled. The Marine had managed to get up on one knee. The Marine pulled out a hand phaser. Jonathan struck out with his foot knocking the phaser out of the Marine's hand. The Marine refused to go quietly. The Marine jumped up and grabbed the rifle. The Marine was smaller then Jonathan. Around a foot shorter and of smaller build but the Marine was still strong. But Jonathan had the upper hand. The Marine suddenly let go of the rifle and drove an elbow into Jonathan's stomach. Instinctively Jonathan doubled over and got a foot in the face. The Marine had stepped back after hitting Jonathan and gave Jonathan a powerful kick in the face. Jonathan's head snapped back and he stumbled backwards, losing his hold on the rifle. Jonathan regained his balance and looked at the Marine. The Marine stood legs apart and arms up, ready to fight but didn't have the phaser rifle like Jonathan thought. Jonathan looked behind the Marine and saw the hand phaser he had kicked out of the Marine's hands. The Marine noticed this and quickly looked behind him. Jonathan also snuck a look behind him and saw the rifle close by. He turned to face the Marine.

They looked at each other for a second and then simultaneously dived backwards for the weapons behind them. They both grabbed the weapons and spun around to fire. Both fired at the same time. A blue haze obscured Jonathan's vision but before he lost total vision he saw that the Marine was also being beamed out.

Jonathan rematerialised in a cargo bay. Susan rushed over.

"Jonathan! Are you all right? I need a medic here!" shouted Susan.

"What are you going on about?"

Susan put her finger to Jonathan's face and showed him. Her finger was red with his blood. One of the ship's medical personnel rushed over and scanned Jonathan with a medical tricorder. Two more people appeared on the deck. It was Karak and a security officer.

"Captain, I'm afraid we lost the bridge," said Karak.

The ship wide intercom sounded.

"_This is Colonel Tiki or should I say Captain Tiki, we have captured the ship and won the war game. I declare the games officially over."_


	7. Part 6

Jonathan stepped onto the Bridge. The entire Bridge crew stopped what they were doing and looked at him.

"What? Do I have my uniform inside out?"

Susan laughed. "No. The Lt. Commander and the Colonel are in your Ready Room."

"Good. You can continue doing whatever you were doing."

Jonathan went to his ready room. The Colonel and the Lt. Commander were sitting talking to each other. They turned and started to get up.

"Remain seated." Jonathan walked around the table to his chair. "Do you have the report of the battle?"

"Well, the Marines won," said Nikki. Jonathan expected to hear a bit of hatred or loathing in her voice but heard none. "We lost around 300 in the battle and…"

"300? I thought you took out the whole crew."

The Colonel smiled.

"No. The plan was to take the ship as fast as possible. To do this we couldn't get into long protracted battles. So we herded a lot of the crew and trapped them, like what you did to the squads in the shuttlebay. Most of the kills we got were from Deck 7 upwards. Which was a good show of tactics," commented David to Nikki.

"Thank you but the plan was the Captains."

"No, no. The credit goes to you, Lt. Commander. I gave you an outline and you turned it into a reality."

"The harassment teams were good. They did a lot of damage. Plus the rush on Deck 3 really hurt us badly."

"How many men did you have left in the end?" asked Jonathan.

"When we went for the Bridge we had 14. 4 you took out and stopped us from creating a crossfire situation on the Bridge."

"And at the end?"

"Your Bridge crew did well for a no win situation. The Bridge is a death trap. No adequate cover. In the end only 5 Marines remained."

"It was close. So what was your take on the situation?"

"The crew and Security did well unprepared. Once you got organised we had a hard time," said David.

"The Marines performed excellently. They obviously are well trained and commanded."

Jonathan smiled. "It's good to see we are all on the same side."

* * *

Frank watched and waited for Jonathan to call him up. But Jonathan didn't call him up.

Karak looked over. "You look worried, Ensign."

"Of course I am. I shot at the Captain!"

"True, but you missed."

"That's not the point. I nearly hit him! I'm doomed."

Karak raised an eyebrow and look unsympathetic.

* * *

"That's fine. I have what I need from you two. You're dismissed."

Nikki and David stood. Nikki headed straight out but David lingered.

"If it is okay, I'd like to speak privately with you, sir," asked David.

Jonathan looked puzzled. "Sure, Colonel."

"I would like to apologise for the actions of the Marine who fought with you on Deck 3."

Jonathan smiled as he remembered the fight. "It's quite okay, Colonel. All he did was break my nose and cut my head open. The Medics fixed my injuries easily."

The Colonel looked uneasy. "She, sir."

"Pardon?"

"She, sir. The Marine was a woman."

"I hope I didn't do her much damage."

"Cracked rib and three broken fingers. All are fixed. If you want I'll discipline her."

"No. I attacked her. She was doing her duty," said Jonathan. He smiled and rubbed his nose. "She really did a number on me."

"I know, sir. That's the point. She went over the top. Totally overreacted."

"Did she know who I was?"

"No. In fact the only way she found out was one of the Marines you took out noticed your pips and told her after the games."

"That seals it. No action needed. If she did know who I was…well, I would be worried. That's the end of it. That is okay with you, Colonel?"

"Fine with me, sir."

David saluted and left and Susan stepped in.

"You did a good job with those two, Jonathan. In fact with the whole Marine/Security situation."

"Thank you, Susan. So is there a reason for this visit? Or can't you get enough of me?"

Susan laughed and sat down. Jonathan had only recently noticed that whenever she laughed she would always follow it by flicking her hair. He didn't know why, but it was a very attractive thing to do.

"Not quite. I need to talk to you about your relationship with the crew."

"Relationship?"

"Exactly. You and the crew are very distant, especially you and the rest of the Bridge and Command staff."

"Susan, this isn't the time for…"

"When will the time be then? Look, Jonathan, this has to be fixed by the time we get to the Front. Take today for instance. How you fought in the battle."

"The line was collapsing I had to join in."

"Yes, but you had to be dragged out. Remember what I said before on the Bridge."

"I have a responsibility to the crew to stay alive."

"That's right. Most of the crew look up to you. You're more then just a leader. The ship won't function properly until you acknowledge that. Look, I know you had a lot of friends on the _Swiftfire_ when she…"

Jonathan stood and turned his back to Susan and looked out into space.

"You can't just turn your back on this, Jonathan." Susan raised her voice.

"I remind you that I'm your commanding officer, _Commander_ Core. Don't speak to me like a misbehaving child." The fact Jonathan used Susan's full title showed that he was serious and was not pleased with the direction of this conversation.

Susan stood and walked up behind Jonathan. Jonathan briefly looked at the reflection of Susan in the window when she appeared behind him, then returned his view to space.

"Jonathan, I'm your friend. I knew Jeri and the others they were my friends too. It hurt me when I heard that they were killed. I cried when I heard. But you know what helped? Knowing you survived."

"I had no right!" shouted Jonathan. He tilted his head towards Susan but didn't turn to face her. "I should have been on the _Swiftfire_. I should have died with them. It was my fault."

"No it wasn't. It was the Klingons fault for attacking your ship. It was the Dominion's fault for using a Changeling to incite a war. It was the Wormhole aliens fault for making the wormhole. We could lay the blame until it somehow got to you but what good would it do? You have to let it go, Jonathan. You can't blame yourself."

"You don't understand. It was my fault, all my fault. They wouldn't have destroyed the _Swiftfire_ if it weren't for me. They all died because of me."

Susan stepped closer and put her hand on Jonathan's shoulder. She looked in the reflection and saw tears.

"You have to let go." Susan's voice dropped and was filled with concern. "It's killing me seeing you like this. Let the past go and focus on the present and the future. This ship. This _Swiftfire_. This crew. Get to know them. You might like them. You think if you don't get to know them if they die it won't matter. It will, Jonathan. You can be a good Captain, even a great Captain. But all good Captains worked well with their crew. I know I can't order you to do anything but listen to me, as a friend. We are at war and you need as many friends as you can get."

Susan looked into the reflection of Jonathan's eyes. They were still focused on a point far out in space. Susan squeezed his shoulder and then slid her hand off and stepped back. She pulled a datapadd out of her pocket. She looked at it and then placed it on Jonathan's desk.

"Here are some notes on the main officers. You should read it. I'll be on the Bridge if you need me."

Susan stood and waited for Jonathan to reply or even move. Jonathan remained still so she reluctantly left and hoped Jonathan had listened to what she had to say.

Jonathan waited until Susan was gone before he moved. He had heard everything Susan had said but she didn't know the whole story. How could he explain what had happened to him on Deep Space 9 over a year ago? He moved over to his deck and picked up the datapadd Susan had left.

* * *

Later that day Frank was walking the corridors to the holodeck when he came across the Captain. Frank tensed up. He looked for a way to get out of there but it was too late, the Captain had seen him. He kept walking and came up to the Captain.

"Sir," he said nervously.

"Ensign," replied the Captain but he kept walking.

Frank started to relax.

"Ensign Cole," said the Captain.

Frank froze and slowly turned. The Captain was already facing him.

"Good work on the Bridge during the games. The Colonel said you fought well. You even got two kills. Great work."

Frank smiled. "Thank you, sir. You don't know what it means to me to hear you say that."

"Anytime, Ensign. Keep up the good work."

The Captain turned and started to walk off. Frank beamed and felt a lot better then he had been felling before.

"And Ensign," said the Captain as he walked away. "Your aim needs a bit of work. I don't want any friendly fire incidents."

Frank's smile instantaneously disappeared.

As an after thought Jonathan added, "I'm glad you missed. Getting shot by your own crew. I'd never have lived that down."

The Captain disappeared around the corner.

Frank put his head in his hand.

* * *

Susan walked into the lounge and found it busy. But most of the people were crowded around one table. Pilots, Marines, Security Officers and other crew were all there. She walked over, just has she reached the group they burst into laughter. She looked to see Ensign Cole, Lieutenant Letac and several other officers sitting at a table.

One of the Marines spoke. "You're kidding, right? You didn't actually do that did you?"

Frank nodded and then laid his head on his folded arms.

The Marine and the others laughed. "You nearly took out the Captain in the game. That's classic!"

"That isn't the worse thing. Frank ran into the Captain earlier. Come on Frank, tell them what he said."

Frank's muffled voice sounded strained. "He said, glad you missed."

The crowd erupted into laughter; even Susan had to let out a little laugh.

"We need something to remember this by," said a Security Officer.

"I know, a nickname. How about 'Friendly', as in Friendly fire?" said one crewmember.

"No. What did the Captain say? "Glad u missed." How about G-U-M? Gum!" said a Marine.

The Marine next to him hit him on the back of the head.

"You as in the word not the letter you, idiot. It's G-Y-M. Gym, how does that sound."

The crowd cheered.

"It's settled," said Terri. "Frank's nickname is now Jim."

Susan worked her way to Frank. She lent over him and whispered in his ear, "You are never going to live this down, Frank…or should I say Jim."

Frank didn't lift his head but Susan heard a moan.

"I know."


	8. Epilogue

The next day Susan entered the Bridge and saw something she didn't expect. Jonathan was on the Bridge and walking around chatting to the crew on duty. Normally he would retreat to his Ready Room or just sit on his chair. She smiled at Jonathan when he noticed her. But he didn't head straight over; instead he finished talking to the crew. He finally got to Susan.

"Commander."

"Captain," she said adding a slight smile. "This is different."

"Yes, it is. Shall we sit?"

Susan nodded and Jonathan motioned for her to lead the way.

"Time until we exit warp?"

"2 minutes and 11 seconds," said Karak.

Susan and Jonathan sat down in the centre of the Bridge.

"You were right, Susan."

"About what?"

"Everything. The past is important but the present and future are vital. And this is my present and future. I'll miss them, the old crew and ship. But this new one is more important. I have a responsibility to the United Federation of Planets, Starfleet, this ship, this crew, you and myself. It's important I understand that and I do now. The present is in danger and the future is unsure but it is my duty to make the present safer and the future sure and I can't do that if I let the ghosts of the past haunt me."

"That's the best thing I've heard on this trip. I guess you did listen to what I had to say."

"Captain, we are exiting warp," said Karak.

The lines on the viewscreen shortened until they were just dots as the ship exited warp.

"We are been hailed."

"On screen."

"_This is Admiral Harvey. Welcome to the Fifth Fleet, _Swiftfire_."_

"Thank you Admiral. My crew and I are ready for whatever the Dominion can throw at us."

"_I'm glad to hear that,"_ said the Admiral.

Susan smiled to herself. _So am I, Admiral. So am I._


End file.
